The Importance of Biodegradable ingredients

When I came across this image on Instagram, it was an instant reminder of why I began my Guiltless Skin journey.

During a trip to a remote region in Namibia, my husband and I saw firsthand the delicate balance between nature and man’s impact: and how fast that balance is disappearing.

We were staying in the Kunene region to witness the important rhino conservation efforts that are taking place to protect these gentle giants from poachers.

This is a part of the country where it had not properly rained for five years and as a result, very few wildlife stayed in the region. Our guide, who lives nearby to the camp, told us he can no longer survive off the land his family has farmed for generations because of the devastating impact of droughts on irrigation and water supply, so he now relies on tourism income. (Read more about the problem facing farmers in Namibia). But tourism is a growing part of the problem on the fragile ecosystem.

Guests at our camp were asked to be sparing with water usageand refrain from using any shower products we had brought with us. The reason? All wastewater was being recycled and reused to water crops. Thenon-bio degradableingredients in the majority of shampoos, shower gels and body washes made the grey water toxic to plants. Let alone the contamination to the criticalwater holesfor remaining wandering wildlife. Instead, the camp provided their own products for guests’ use during their stay - products that had been using all-natural and biodegradable ingredients.

Namibia truly was the turning point when it came to my understanding of what no compromise skincare really means, and just how great our impact is when we choose to use products with questionable ingredients.Now, since founding Guiltless Skin, when I travel to places like Namibia I do so in the knowledge that the ingredients in my skin care are askind to nature, animals and people as they are to my own skin.